USC dodges upset against gritty Wofford, 24-7

Gamecocks pull away in fourth quarter against gutsy Terriers on Saturday to finish season undefeated at Williams-Brice Stadium.

By TODD SHANESYtodd.shanesy@shj.com

COLUMBIA — The common joke in college football this week was that, in honor of Hostess Brands Inc. declaring it was going out of business, Southeastern Conference teams loaded up on Twinkies.Well, Wofford proved it is no cupcake.South Carolina, ranked No. 9 in the BCS standings, found itself tied with the Terriers in the fourth quarter Saturday before pulling out a 24-7 win at Williams-Brice Stadium.This was no sweet snack before next week's big game at Clemson.“Wofford is a good team,” South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said. “We knew that coming in and we knew it was going to be a close dogfight all the way through.”The past two meetings should have made that clear. South Carolina had a 23-13 win in 2008 and had to hold on for a 27-20 win in 2006 with the Terriers down inside the 10-yard line at the finish.But the Gamecocks (9-2) were able to score 17 fourth-quarter points to pull away. Wofford (8-3) couldn't convert a fourth-and-1 at its own 34-yard line to set up a short field, and South Carolina took advantage on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Connor Shaw to Ace Sanders for a 17-7 lead with about eight minutes remaining.Two snaps later, Akeem Auguste recovered an Eric Breitenstein fumble forced by Reginald Bowers and took it 31 yards to the end zone for the backbreaker.“The game was about like every time we've played Wofford,” Spurrier said. “It was very close and then something good happened for us in the fourth quarter. … We hit a few comebacks late in the game.”It was another close call for Wofford, which lost a 35-27 game last year to Clemson and was within a point in the fourth quarter. This one was equally frustrating for the Terriers.“We worked hard for this one,” Wofford head coach Mike Ayers said. “I told them at the beginning of the week, ‘We're not coming down there for a check. We're coming down there for a win.' It's a tough one when you know you're so close and you know that you almost beat Goliath. But it just didn't turn out.”Wofford forced a couple of turnovers inside the 15-yard line on two of South Carolina's first three possessions. USC went 13 plays on its second possession for a touchdown as Kenny Miles capped the series with a 2-yard run.The Terriers pulled even just before halftime by going 85 yards on 12 plays, Breitenstein going the last 46 yards on seven carries and bulldozing in from the 2 with only 32 seconds left in the second quarter.“At halftime, all the talk was business,” Ayers said. “It's wasn't a rah-rah deal or anything like that. We basically talked about what we needed to do to win the game.”Wofford's first possession of the second half, led by third-string quarterback James Lawson after the other two went down with injuries, went 15 plays and lasted 8:40. But it ended with a fumble. The Terriers fumbled five times and lost three. They were critical.“Turnovers got us today,” Ayers said. “If we don't turn the ball over, then that other side might be a little sad. … I'm sure there were a bunch of people up there in the other-color jerseys who were kind of worried.”Wofford's team will meet at 1:30 p.m. today in Old Main on campus to learn its postseason fate.“Where do we go from here?” Ayers said. “Leonard Auditorium. Hopefully, we make the playoffs.”The Gamecocks will breathe a little easier as they head into next week's nationally televised game at Clemson.“I was relieved. It was a difficult game,” Spurrier said. “I do like playing in-state schools, but every time we've played these guys, they've had a chance to beat us. … I think I'd like to trade with Alabama and play the team they played this week, Western Carolina.”